***Official 2011 Bengals off/pre-season/season/postseason! Thread (1 Viewer)

[dhockster]

Call me a sucker, but I actually think the Bengals should win this game. Being picked by the pundits to finish dead last to start the season, there should be virtually no pressure on the Bengals. The season is already a huge success from my viewpoint, a very young team gaining valuable "important game" experience is awesome, a win is pure upside. Combine this with getting the extra first rounder this year, and another 2nd next year and things are looking bright in Bengaldom. I think this is a much more stable locker room than what we saw the last time this team was looking good and is more likely to be built for long term success.

I don't know if the Bengals "Should" win this game, but they definitely could win this game. Your point about lack of pressure is a good one. The one thing going against the Bengals is that since the Texans lost 3 straight going into the playoffs, they will not be taking this game lightly. They will be desperate for a win, and I think with the home crowd behind them and the type of players they have on defense, the defense will be swarming. It will be interesting to see how Dalton handles that initially, and also if he feels any pressure playing in front of friends and family (played H.S. ball outside of Houston).

 

[QuizGuy66]

-QG

 

[cheese]

Can't sleep either. Less than 12 hours!

 

[TD32]

WHO-DEY!!!!!!

 

[notdarkyet]

3 Keys to the game for:

Defense:

1. Needs to stop the run. No big run plays.

2. Front 4 needs to be able to get pressure on the young QB. Hit him.

3. Avoid broken coverages that have been an issue lately, know your responsibility in coverage and the safety needs to keep the game in front of him.

Offense:

1. Needs to protect the ball. Cedric, I am looking at you.

2. Needs to score TOUCHDOWNS in the redzone. Been killed lately by drives stalling inside the 20. Can't afford to settle for FGs.

3. Long ball. Trust AJ to go get it and toss it up. Gotta keep Houston's defense honest.

ST/Kicking:

1. Noog needs to get the misses out of his head. He is a good kicker with plenty of leg, needs to remember that.

2. Huber getting back to pinning the opposition inside the 5 or better.

3. No big returns.

Coaches:

1. Play to win the game. Don't play to not lose.

2. Timeout/Clock/Challenge mgmt. Cannot afford to miss opportunities to challenge, and must pull the trigger when it matters.

3. Make this team believe they are the answer to 21 years of frustration.

WHO-DEY Baby!!!

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Good luck today, Bengalis. I haven't read through the thread, but have a question:

How does the fan base feel about Marvin Lewis? Being a Ravens fan, I've always wanted him to do well (& he has against Baltimore for the most part). I wish he was doing it in another division, though.

I think Cincy has a decent chance today. If Houston was full strength I'd feel differently, but I think if the Bengals can score 17+ they can bring it home.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Good luck today, Bengalis. I haven't read through the thread, but have a question:How does the fan base feel about Marvin Lewis? Being a Ravens fan, I've always wanted him to do well (& he has against Baltimore for the most part). I wish he was doing it in another division, though. I think Cincy has a decent chance today. If Houston was full strength I'd feel differently, but I think if the Bengals can score 17+ they can bring it home.

Thanks Marvin gets his share of shots and he isn't perfect. But 3 playoff appearances under Mike Brown in 9 years is actually pretty impressive and not at all easy to do. I was glad they kept him and I think that he has gained more influence than he had in the past. Hopefully we'll see a Cincy-Baltimore playoff match-up this year -QG

 

[Teef]

This is the second time Carson Palmer has helped the Bengals reach the playoffs QG change the second line of your title to that

Looks like Palmer is alive and well in Cincy.

 

[QuizGuy66]

This is the second time Carson Palmer has helped the Bengals reach the playoffs QG change the second line of your title to that

Looks like Palmer is alive and well in Cincy.

Did he change his number to 42?Anyway new thread coming up.-QG

 

[notdarkyet]

3 Keys to the game for:

Defense:

1. Needs to stop the run. No big run plays. NOPE

2. Front 4 needs to be able to get pressure on the young QB. Hit him. KINDA, BUT NOT ENOUGH

3. Avoid broken coverages that have been an issue lately, know your responsibility in coverage and the safety needs to keep the game in front of him. NOPE

Offense:

1. Needs to protect the ball. Cedric, I am looking at you. NOPE, 3 INTS

2. Needs to score TOUCHDOWNS in the redzone. Been killed lately by drives stalling inside the 20. Can't afford to settle for FGs. KINDA, SCORED WHEN THERE, JUST NOT THERE ENOUGH

3. Long ball. Trust AJ to go get it and toss it up. Gotta keep Houston's defense honest. NOPE

ST/Kicking:

1. Noog needs to get the misses out of his head. He is a good kicker with plenty of leg, needs to remember that. NOPE

2. Huber getting back to pinning the opposition inside the 5 or better. NOPE

3. No big returns. YEA, NOT NEARLY ENOUGH KICKOFFS THOUGH

Coaches:

1. Play to win the game. Don't play to not lose. N/A

2. Timeout/Clock/Challenge mgmt. Cannot afford to miss opportunities to challenge, and must pull the trigger when it matters. FAILED

3. Make this team believe they are the answer to 21 years of frustration. UNKNOWN

WHO-DEY Baby!!! TEXANS

The Texans made big plays and the Bengals didn't. An almost fumble by Foster to start the game, an almost interception by Crocker, but just didnt get it done.

Only thing I am really mad at is Marvin once again blowing challenges. Has to be the worst team in the league at challenging.

Would loved to have had Leon Hall there to cover AJ. Lord knows what anybody not named Clements was doing covering him.

All in all, this was a team that was picked to finish 34th out of 32 NFL teams. They made the ****ing playoffs. Schedule shmedule. They won most of the games they were supposed to win and hung in ther for a lot they shouldn't have. Season was a success, this game was not.

Dalton getting playoff experience as a rookie in a season they were supposed to be replacing him with Andrew Luck at the end of... I'll take it.

Congrats Texans, you were the better team.

PS - This "helpless WR" crap is out of hand. Should be reviewable, and should never be called for a shoulder not to the head.

 

[cheese]

Good luck today, Bengalis. I haven't read through the thread, but have a question:

How does the fan base feel about Marvin Lewis? Being a Ravens fan, I've always wanted him to do well (& he has against Baltimore for the most part). I wish he was doing it in another division, though.

I think Cincy has a decent chance today. If Houston was full strength I'd feel differently, but I think if the Bengals can score 17+ they can bring it home.

Lets put it this way. If you had told Bengals fans the day he was hired back in 2003 that he would separate us from Cleveland, have a winning record against Baltimore, win the division twice, make 3 playoff games, host 2 of them... they would be asking where to donate to build his statue. Not to mention, somewhere along the way Palmer's injuries (I'm giving CP the benefit of the doubt here) turned him from a franchise QB to a yearly liability. That certainly impacts a teams results.The problem he has is a classic case of a coach raising the bar for an organization. People are starting to look at this team with the same expectations the better NFL teams have rather than just happy to be getting a taste of success. You are already starting to hear fans saying they need to promote Gruden or Zimmer to "take it to the next level". Maybe they're right, I don't know. I have a tremendous amount of loyalty to Lewis because I honestly believe he raised the standards of the Bengals from the inside out. Even if we change coaches and eclipse his best seasons, I think he will have played a huge part in making that possible.

 

[cvnpoka]

lewis is likely the worst game day coach in the league since childress is currently out. clock management, timeout management, 4th down decision making, challenge decisions really put his team at a disadvantage. further, philosophically, i take issue with his refusal to take risks and lack of innovation. both of these areas have greatly improved with gruden taking over offensive duties.

that aside, as cheese alludes, he sure seems to get the most out of his players and they love playing for him. that goes a long way to winning games.

last offseason, when it appeared he would be let go, i was hoping something was worked out bc of mike brown's history of hiring awful coaches and then waiting 4 yrs to fire them. lebeau, coslet, and of course, the worst coach of all time, dave shula.